Common Faults?

[med]

hi, i am hoping to buy a mk2 GTI (posted in wanted section) and i want to know what to look out for??

as i will be doing alot of motorway miles to uni and back to see family, and as a student i cant afford much in the way of repairs/maintianace, so when i buy one it has to be mechanically sound.

so please advise me on what to look for, it can either be the 8v or the 16v i dont mind.

many thanks in advance, med

[med]

BUMP, someone must know what to look out for!!

[takethefifth]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum and that!

There is a lot of info on this in the past posts, far more than i am prepared to copy and type for you at this hour anyway! Use the search function and you should find plenty of stuff.

 

[Ktuludays]

most mk2's are pretty solid tbh unless really abused.

check all the electrics work especially the rear wiper and stuff. the wires break where they pass from car body to tailgate where the boot lid lifts up (left hand side). not hard to fix just annoying.

check mfa works on clocks and reads correctly - not essential to car but annoying when it doesn't work.

mechanics are pretty solid. depends which engine you choose 8v or 16v.

check gearbox is ok from cold between 1st and 2nd gear - syncromesh fails and a nice crunch will be present if it has.

look in boot for a sticker that has all the cars factory codes on it. if it isn't here then look for any accident damage at the back.

[monkeyalan]

if you're going to do lots of motorway driving get an 8v. they are less revvy at 70 ish .

[med]

most mk2's are pretty solid tbh unless really abused.

check all the electrics work especially the rear wiper and stuff. the wires break where they pass from car body to tailgate where the boot lid lifts up (left hand side). not hard to fix just annoying.

check mfa works on clocks and reads correctly - not essential to car but annoying when it doesn't work.

mechanics are pretty solid. depends which engine you choose 8v or 16v.

check gearbox is ok from cold between 1st and 2nd gear - syncromesh fails and a nice crunch will be present if it has.

look in boot for a sticker that has all the cars factory codes on it. if it isn't here then look for any accident damage at the back.

hi, a few questions if i may, whats mfa?
also, you said mechanics are pretty solid, depends on the type of engine; so which engine is more solid, the 8v or 16v?
if the syncromesh fails, does that mean a new gearbox/syncromesh is needed? and is this cosstly?
where abouts is the sticker in the boot?

sorry about all the questions- thanks, in advance. med

[monkeyalan]

MFA = trip computer. gives  a digital readout of fuel consumption , average MPH , distance travelled , oil temp , outside temp.

both engines are solid but i'd go 8v for motorway use

the sticker is on the inside of the back panel ( the one woth the VW and GTI badges )

[med]

MFA = trip computer. gives  a digital readout of fuel consumption , average MPH , distance travelled , oil temp , outside temp.

both engines are solid but i'd go 8v for motorway use

the sticker is on the inside of the back panel ( the one woth the VW and GTI badges )

thanks, do all the model have the MFA?

and do they all have power steering??, thanks, med

[Ant]

Assuming that being a student means your 18-21, I think you should be more worried about the insurrance. Have you tried for a quote yet?

[med]

Assuming that being a student means your 18-21, I think you should be more worried about the insurrance. Have you tried for a quote yet?

i will be 20 in 2 months, but i will hopefully be going under a company fleet policy, so insurance shouldnt a problem, as its just 3.0+ where i have to be over 23 for fleet.